Workshops and Conferences
Drylands, Deserts and Desertification Conference
December 14-17, Blaustein Institute for Desert Research, Ben-Gurion University Sede Boqer Campus
The Arava Institute is a sponsor of the second international conference on desertification at the Blaustein Institute for Desert Research of Ben-Gurion University of the Negev. The conference will focus on the recently published scientific framework for global desertification-the Drylands Development Paradigm (DDP) (Reynolds et al., 2007 Science, 316, 847-851), evaluating the strengths and weaknesses of the DDP for analyzing the degradation of soil and vegetation. Presentations and case studies will also focus on the implications of the paradigm for partnerships between developing and developed countries, as well as on the interplay between desertification and climate change.
Dylands, Deserts and Desertification Conference website
Planting Native Species for the Purpose of Slowing Desertification
March 22-30 2009, Arava Institute for Environmental Studies
A training program that will provide an opportunity for professionals involved in desertification issues to gain knowledge of practical methods of reversing desertification, including hydrological strategies and information on native plant species that mitigate the damage.
Poor land and water management practices have led to desertification of once arable lands in areas of Israel, Palestine, and Jordan. In a response to desertification, Israel has played a leading role in the development of technologies and policies to deal with the spread of desertification, and techniques to slow down, and hopefully, reverse the process.
The training program will convene Chinese and African mid-level government policy makers, civil servants and members of the academia and the NGO community, to discuss desertification issues, gaining knowledge of practical methods of reversing the trend of soil degradation, such as hydrological strategies as well as native and desert-adapted plant species that mitigate the damage and the accompanying policy measures to effect change. The training program will utilize the extensive expertise on sustainability in arid climates developed over many years at the Arava Institute to present a variety of desertification mitigation strategies, but will also draw on regional experiences and experiments.
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